Self-Care & Independence with Home Care Assistance
Home care assistance offers safe and dignified support for seniors aging in place.
Maintaining independence is often one of the reasons seniors give for aging in place. The idea of staying as independent as possible boosts quality of life and helps seniors to feel confident. Promoting self-care and independence is one way for family caregivers to help seniors feel more empowered and give them control over their lives. Even the most independent people need help now and again, however, and for seniors, home care assistance can offer that help.
Why Self-care Matters for Seniors
Self-care means that seniors are able to handle at least some daily activities independently. These might include personal hygiene tasks, eating, and getting dressed.
Maintaining a sense of personal control over these activities helps them to feel strong physically and emotionally. They feel autonomous and as if they do not have to depend on others for every little thing. Maintaining independence can even help to slow down cognitive decline.
Gentle Guidance Over Taking Over
That said, seniors may still need some help with daily tasks. It’s tempting to step in and simply do the tasks that are becoming difficult, but that’s the wrong approach. Home care assistance providers can help family caregivers see what it’s like to offer gentle guidance and support rather than simply taking over these tasks. This type of approach offers assistance, but not by removing independence in any way.
Focus on Safety and Accessibility
The biggest concern is a combination of safety and accessibility. Adapting the living environment to the senior’s needs can make it easier for seniors to get through their days independently. One example is that doorknobs might be difficult for seniors with arthritis to use, so swapping traditional knobs for levers allows seniors to open doors themselves more easily.
Home care assistance can help families figure out other solutions like this.
Use Assistive Tools
Assistive tools and devices, like long-handled sponges or grabbing tools, make self-care activities much easier. Seniors can complete tasks more easily, reducing frustration and promoting independence. There’s often a learning curve with these tools, so home care assistance providers can help seniors learn how to use them properly.
Establish Routines
Routines give aging adults consistency and structure that help them to get everything done that they want to do. Routines can support personal hygiene tasks, meals, medications, and even physical activity.
Home care assistance providers can help seniors stay on target with their routines while also promoting flexibility to account for spontaneity.
Empower with Choices
One issue that causes seniors to feel as if they’re losing independence is when they don’t feel as if they have choices. More choices often lead to seniors feeling as if they have more control over their lives, and that’s important for mental health. Asking for input is always better than telling seniors what to do.
Balancing Support and Independence
It’s delicate to balance support and independence for seniors. Often this is something that seniors need to be in charge of and home care assistance can help with this. Family caregivers can start to feel more confident that they understand when to step in and when to let seniors handle tasks on their own.
Supporting both self-care and independence is something that allows seniors to take charge of their lives. That doesn’t mean that they never need help and home care assistance can help families to bridge that gap.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Assistance in Deerfield, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 948-0860. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette, and the surrounding areas.
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